Guide You Home
by KeyLimePie14
Summary: Love will always guide you home. Maura didn't really believe in fate, or stars aligning, but maybe for Jane, she could. Oh, how she wished she could, but Jane was gone. JanexMaura. Post-Series.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I basically just wrote this up as sort of a character exercise (Maura's head always baffles me :P) but then I decided to actually take it somewhere. I haven't decided how many parts it will be yet, but probably less than 3. Also, for the sake of the story let's pretend that Jane and Maura didn't go to Paris together before Jane's move (even though, squee! That was absolutely adorable…) But yeah. In this story, it didn't happen.**

 **Also, I don't know what my obsession is with the idea of Maura and Jane being each other's "home" but whatever, I'm just rolling with it. The next part should be up in the next few days.**

 **Enjoy!**

" **Guide You Home"**

If there was one thing that had truly always fascinated Dr. Maura Isles, it was science. From a young age, her parents had indulged her interest in science and the passion for knowledge. By age 6, Maura knew, of course, her alphabet and how to read, but she could also recite the periodic table by atomic number. She got her first telescope at age 7, and she would spend hours upon hours gazing at the stars and the moon in the sky outside her bedroom – a bedroom that was pristine and gave no indication that a small child dwelled within it. The moon and the stars were her first friends. She'd babble on and on about whatever came into her mind, thinking back to the silly rhyme one of her nannies had told her about there being a man in the moon and often times reciting it as she stared up in awe at the large expanse of dark sky, _"the man in the moon/ looked out of the moon/ looked out of the moon and said: it's time for all children on the Earth/ to think about getting to bed!_

She also recalled sneaking into her father's office and climbing on a chair, reaching up, up, to one of many leather bound books on the large mahogany shelves lining the walls. She always did this when her father was away, but that simply added to the thrill of it (she _always_ did what she was told; sometimes it was fun to have a thrill). Her favorite book on the entire shelf was a worn copy of _Gray's Anatomy_. The book took up her entire lap and then some, as she would sit on the floor of the study, legs criss-cross applesauce, reading by the dim light of the moon.

Science and knowledge were Maura's refuge. They were safe in a world that often was not. Of course, how could a world be safe when _people_ were so unpredictable? It was always the people that Maura could never understand. Her parents hardly counted; she couldn't remember more than a handful of times when they had tried to relate to her during her childhood. They always saw her as self-sufficient, which she was, and when she outgrew the need for a nanny to look after her, she spent most of her time alone. She wouldn't have recognized it at the time, but despite throwing herself into her schoolwork and her insatiable need for learning, she was lonely.

But it had always been that way, so Maura had nothing to compare it to. Sure, she'd tried to befriend the children at school early on, but quickly learned that they were not interested in hearing what she had to say – especially if it was anything remotely academic or of a culture that those kids knew nothing about. Maura knew from a young age that it was easier to keep to herself, after all, she knew of one thing that had never betrayed her – science.

Science was easy. It was predictable and there were patterns. She liked patterns. She often recalled as a small child, exploring the world around her, and looking for patterns in the seemingly randomness of life. Her eye would catch the clock, and mentally she would add the numbers together, subtract, multiply, divide; whatever she could do to manipulate them. After all, numbers were constant and their values always stayed the same.

When she went to boarding school, she truly thought it would be different from the school she had come from where the kids were only there because they had to be, and not because they actually valued learning. But she quickly discovered that her boarding school was no different from any encounter she had previously. If anything, it was worse because it was an all-girls school and it was a battle of cliques and whose parents had more money, who could brag about the more extravagant gifts or vacation. Maura had no interest in competing in these fields. Her confidence came academically, but she soon found that did not make her popular either.

If anything, outshining her classmates in school only made things worse for her. They called her names ("Maura the Bora"), teased her and found great pleasure in humiliating her any chance they could. It was a select few girls that did this often, but none of her other classmates really did anything to stop it. For years, she went to sleep hearing their jovial laughter and she felt the hurt from being used for knowledge, to help them cheat on some test. She had actually believed that they liked her, that they wanted to be her friend. She'd never had a real friend before, not if she didn't count a couple of nannies that had formed a personal connection with her.

Growing up, all she had wanted was a friendship like she saw in movies. One of her guilty pleasures was watching cheesy comedies that centered on romance, and often friendship. She longed for a relationship of any sort, but she had learned firsthand just how cruel humans could be, so the yearning remained just that.

College had been fun for Maura. One day, she presumed it was somewhere midway through her sophomore year, she'd woken up and decided that she didn't want to be the person she'd always been. So she changed. She went to parties, she joined a sorority. She was the life of the party, all while maintaining her straight A marks. Despite finally, _finally_ feeling like something other than a misfit, she knew that she was never really meant to fit in among the masses.

It wasn't until after college and medical school that Maura truly began to accept who she was, and that she may never have what other people seemed to strive for in life – unconditional love, the comfort of another. Sure, she'd maintained a few serious relationships, hell, she'd even been engaged to Garrett Fairfield and she had a marriage that lasted all of a day, but still, looking back she couldn't say that she'd ever truly connected to another soul. What she thought had been true love, more than once, always turned out wrongly for her. Most that she dated and hung around, ditched her long before even really getting to know her. They said she was boring, that she was robotic and less than human – _not warm, cold, distant_. Even when she had accepted the position of Chief Medical Examiner, the cops had begun calling her _The Queen of the Dead_. Though, she thought with a smile, she didn't mind that one so much – she liked that she could speak for the dead and to her, they were the safest kind of people. They couldn't mock her or hurt her. There was only one living person who had ever truly made her feel the same…

She could credit her development in confidence to one person – Jane Rizzoli. She'd entered her life like a whirlwind and she had never left. Jane was the one true friend that Maura ever had and she was still, after all these years, trying to wrap her mind around _why?_

She'd considered asking Jane why, what she saw in her that made her stick around. She wanted, desperately, to know why Jane, and by extension her family and friends, stuck around past the long spiels about ancient history, and scientific processes' and tidbits that no normal person really cared about. But she was scared of that question too.

Maura knew she would never find another friend like Jane Rizzoli, so the day she began to realize that her feelings for the brunette went deeper than friendship, she almost shut down completely, reverting to a version of herself that had long since passed. She knew that was the only way to protect herself and keep Jane around.

She never imagined that it could do the opposite, but, Maura sat alone in her Beacon Hill home, hands wrapped around a cup of warm tea, as she realized that she had facilitated the outcome of the situation. She'd pushed Jane away and put her at arm's length. She'd helped Jane make the decision to move to Washington D.C. and she'd never gotten her chance to tell her how she felt.

Maura sighed and hung her head, softly beginning to sob and yearning for nothing but _Jane._ Maura had always relied on science to guide her, to find the answers she sought, but now... Loving Jane had taught her that sometimes the answers weren't in a pattern or a formula. Sometimes, she had to rely on her heart to give her the answers she needed. But it was too late. She was never any good at relying on herself for answers and this, the time it mattered most of all, she'd still failed herself. Stars don't align for two people to be together and fate is a myth. After all, if they were real, wouldn't she have Jane?


	2. Chapter 2

" **Guide You Home"**

 **2:**

Maura couldn't remember the last time that she felt so out of place in her own home. She typically enjoyed the silence that living alone offered her but recently this was not the case. It normally helped to clear her mind when it was clogged with work and Jane and family matters. Granted, most of those family matters were a result of Jane's boisterous family, but Maura had her own share.

Within the last few years she'd gone from having two loving, albeit distant adoptive parents to having four parents in total, her biological parents bringing with them their own sets of baggage. Though, with one being a South Boston mobster and the other being an accredited doctor who set up a life-saving organization with dirty money and a teenage daughter who needed Maura's kidney, one couldn't really expect any less. Some days Maura wished that she could have quenched her curiosity about her biological parents and that she had never gone through with it and met them. But most days she was okay with how the situation turned out. She and Hope got along for the most part, despite past hurtful words that had been exchanged and Paddy was behind bars where he deserved to be. Devotion to Maura didn't discount his actions in every other aspect of life.

She thought of her other "makeshift" family – Jane's family. They'd accepted Maura as one of their own, Angela Rizzoli taking Maura under her protective wing almost as if she were another daughter. _Or a daughter in law_. Even Frankie and Tommy looked out for her and regarded her as an equal and another sibling. TJ adored her, calling her Aunt Maura (which, secretly always made Maura's heart swell with love). All in all, Maura figured she was pretty lucky.

So, it wasn't much of a surprise to her when she felt an empty hole in her heart when Jane left. Surely that would take her family from her as well. After all, without Jane, the one who always brought them together, would that mean that the Rizzoli clan would crash through her front door, loud and laughing, as often as they had before Jane left? Maura couldn't expect that from them. They all had their own lives and despite Angela still living in Maura's guest house, she knew that she would be seeing less of the Rizzoli clan and their friends than before. That saddened her. The one piece of her life that she thought would never disappoint her seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

Maura sighed and slumped over from her current position. The attempt at meditation was proving ineffective. She looked at her watch and noted the time. Normally she would be in bed, but her body and mind were so wound up that she knew she couldn't sleep if she tried.

She stood, moving to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, as seemed to be ritual this week. She only hoped that she could fend off the tears tonight. After all, she was on call and definitely had to report to work tomorrow so sleep was a must.

Maura was startled awake by the shrill ringing of her cell phone. She sat up, inhaling deeply through her nose as she did so. Her eyes felt puffy and her throat was sore, no doubt from crying herself to sleep. She couldn't remember the last time she did that. She knew that it probably involved one of the countless times that Jane had endangered her life in the line of duty… That happened way too often for Maura's liking.

The phone kept angrily ringing into the darkness. She reached for it, silently hoping that it was work. Not that she ever wanted the death, but it proved a good distraction sometimes…

"'Ello?" She mumbled, wincing slightly as she heard the scratchiness of her own voice. She realized she'd answered without looking at the origin of the caller. She pulled the phone from her ear to see Jane's name lit up on the screen. "Jane?"

"The one and only," came the flippant response. As if it were perfectly normal to be calling your best friend in the middle of the night. Though, she guessed, nothing about their friendship had ever been "normal" by conventional standards.

"Jane, it's," she glanced at the clock, "4 am." Maura stifled a groan, her head was pounding.

There was a pause on the phone and then came Jane's oh-so-familiar husky voice, _God how Maura loved hearing that voice_ , "Hey, have you been crying?"

Maura fought off the urge to laugh and sighed instead, squeezing her eyes shut to try and find even a little relief from the stabbing pains behind her eyes. Of course, even miles (439.4 to be exact) away, Jane could sense when things were off with her. "Jane… you called me." Avoidance was good, Maura thought, everything is fine. _Except it wasn't_.

"Right," another pregnant pause, "I did. You sure you're okay?"

Maura exhaled through her nose, holding her forehead in her hand as she drooped her head. Tendrils of sleep-mused hair fell around her face, shielding her from the outside world. It made Maura feel like a kid, hiding under the blankets as she held a flashlight in one hand, a book in the other, hiding from her nanny as she was supposed to be sleeping.

But she wasn't a kid anymore, and everything was a mess.

"Yeah, Jane, I really am fine."

"Really? Huh. Cause you sound less than fine to me," Jane sighed softly, "Cmon, Maur, talk to me."

"Why did you call me?"

"I…" Maura heard Jane shuffling around, muffled noises scratching into the phone, "I missed you."

Maura's breath hitched, not so much at the words, but at the sincerity and the raw emotion that was evident in the brunette's voice. Maura imagined a red eyed Jane, probably having consumed one too many beers, slight frown pulling at the corners of her lips like it did when she was upset. "I miss you, Jane." Maura swallowed the lump in her throat and cursed herself for acting like such a child. Even as a child, she'd reserved tears for situations that warranted them. Crying because your best friend moved wasn't exactly becoming.

"So are you really fine? Cause…" Jane trailed off and then Maura heard a choked sob, "I'm not. I miss Boston."

Maura's tongue darted out to lick her lips as she pursed them slightly, chewing on her lower lip. She wanted to tell Jane how she really felt. She wanted to beg her to come home. She wanted to tell her that she was stupid and what the hell was she thinking, moving away? Moving away from _her_? From the life they had? Instead, Maura frowned and nodded to herself, "It will get better, Jane. It's only been a week."

Jane sighed sadly, "A week without my best friend."

"We'll see each other soon. Remember? I'm coming next month. It will be okay, Jane." Maura wasn't exactly sure who she was trying to convince more, herself or Jane.

"Next month. Can't wait," Jane paused again, just listening to Maura breathing, "You'd tell me if you weren't fine, right?"

Maura knew her resolve was quickly crumbling, "Yes, Jane. I'd tell you. Now, I imagine that you have yet to go to sleep. Get some sleep, you're gonna need it."

"Kay, Maur," another pause, "I'll talk to you later?"

"Yes," Maura smiled to herself, "Later, Jane."

"Bye, Maur," and with that, Maura heard the soft beep, indicating that the connection had been severed. Maura bit down harder on her lower lip and buried her face into her pillow in (what she knew) was a futile attempt to fall back asleep.

After lying in the darkness for a while, listening to the early morning commuter's drive down the street, nothing but the sound of tires on pavement and the soft whirr of motors giving any indication that there was life outside the townhouse. Maura closed her eyes, imagining what Jane was doing at that moment. Maura hoped she was sleeping as she knew Jane's habits weren't healthy at times, her lack of sleep often at the top of that list.

But if Maura were to be honest with herself, and honest with what she knew of Jane, she knew that the brunette was more than likely in the same position as she, albeit slightly less hideous from crying.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry this story is going so slowly. I've gotten a few ideas for it so I decided to make it a few more chapters than first anticipated. Updates will come regularly so don't fret! I'm afraid not very much happens in this update, but I had to set it up for the next few chapters.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

" **Guide You Home"**

 **3:**

It had been nearly a month since everything changed. A month since Maura's house felt like a home, since her morgue had life, since Maura felt warmth from her toes to her head just from a glance or a fleeting touch.

And she knew that she was becoming quite pathetic in how often she thought of her best friend.

Thoughts of Jane swirled through her subconscious at all times. Glimpses of her smile; that one that seemed to be reserved solely for Maura, to that swagger of a walk, those deep pools of brown, framed by long, dark eyelashes, seated in deep, striking sockets. Maura could close her eyes and paint her friend from her russet unruly curls down to the deep red polish that was a permanent fixture on rather dainty toes.

Maura was going insane; that was quite simply the only explanation. She drove, lights illuminating the highway streaking through her car, blurring into one nearly constant stream of light. Her car was practically the only one on the road. The small digital clock on her dashboard showed her that it was well past one A.M. _One more hour to go_ , she thought.

One more hour and she'd finally, finally get to see Jane somehow other than through a computer screen. One more hour and she'd finally get to hug her best friend after a month of being starved for her touch. One more hour… and what? She'd finally admit to her emotions and bring Jane home?

Maura shook her head to clear that final thought. She couldn't go into this visit thinking that way; that the endgame of the visit would be to bring Jane home. It would be detrimental to the entire trip and the last thing Maura wanted to do was ruin this sliver of time she had with her friend before having to return to her lonely existence in Boston. She had two weeks. She was determined to savor every moment.

After all, she needed some new memories to take over the old, melancholy ones that now plagued her dreams at night.

* * *

"Maura," Jane sighed into the hug, her long arms encompassing Maura's small frame fully. She squeezed lightly, feeling Maura's nose pressing against her neck.

"I missed you," Maura mumbled, clenching fistfuls of Jane's shirt in her hands. They remained in the embrace for a few more moments before Maura pulled away to look at Jane. She eyed her friend silently, taking in all of the changes that a month had brought. Though there was a smile on her face, Maura noticed the dark bags under her eyes and the drawn features of her once (albeit less so) more relaxed features. She frowned, leaning into Jane's arms once more, "God, I really missed you."

"I missed you too," Jane buried her nose in Maura's hair, nuzzling her gently before pulling away completely, "Come on in. I'll show you my humble abode," she said with a smirk as she wrapped her arm around Maura's waist and picked up her suitcase with her free hand as she led her inside and shut the door with her foot.

"Jane, this is so nice!" Maura looked around at the nice apartment. Maura noted silently that Jane had yet to fully unpack, however, and that she had definitely not decorated. The walls remained bare and there was not much by way of décor, aside from the scant amount of furniture that Jane owned. Before leaving Boston, she'd given much of her furniture and décor to Tommy for the little apartment that he and TJ had acquired. Maura had a feeling this was less in the way of being charitable and more so that Jane didn't feel like lugging more than one rental van full of stuff with her to D.C.

Jane half shrugged, one bony shoulder jutting into the air, "Eh, it's a place to sleep. Haven't really had time to unpack," she called as she navigated her way through a maze of boxes in the living room that led to the kitchen. Maura slipped off her shoes by the door and followed Jane's weaving.

"I can help with that if you'd like," Maura offered a small smile, but her gut twisting on the inside even as she said the words. The last thing she really wanted to do was help Jane get settled in a place that wasn't _home_.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Maur," Jane popped the top off of the beer bottle she'd retrieved from the fridge and held another one out to Maura as she took a long swig. Maura accepted the beverage and caught Jane's eye, feeling as though there was something the brunette was not saying. "This is supposed to be a relaxing two weeks with your best friend, remember?" Jane smirked at her.

Maura popped the top off her beer and took a sip, "I have an itinerary," she admitted quietly, thinking back to the list of museums and historical sites that she envisioned herself dragging Jane to.

Without so much as an eye roll, Jane laughed, "Of course you do. I was expecting it. Unpacked my tennis shoes just for you!" She smiled genuinely and paused, "It's good to actually be able to see you through something other than a computer screen or a phone."

Maura felt the blush creep up her neck and dipped her head slightly to use her hair as a curtain, hopefully shielding the tint of color from Jane's roving eyes, "I feel the same."

"Of course you do! I mean, hell, Maura, you drove all night just to see me? Couldn't have waited until morning, huh?" The smirk on Jane's face reassured Maura that Jane was simply amused.

It did not, however, keep Maura's blush from deepening, "Well… I couldn't sleep anyway…" She trailed off, taking another drink of her beer.

Jane nodded, as if fully understanding and sighed sleepily, setting her beer down onto the counter, "Could you sleep now?" She asked, a small smile on her face.

Maura simply nodded, following Jane's actions and setting her beer bottle down as well before standing. Jane moved around to her side of the counter and put her hands on Maura's shoulders, squeezing firmly.

"I'm really glad you're here, Maur," she paused to smile, that one that Maura loves the most because it's just for her, "Now, let's hit the sack. I'm sure you've got big plans for tomorrow!" She chortled with laughter as she wrapped her arm around Maura's waist again and led her through another maze of boxes down the hallway to the bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

" **Guide You Home"**

 **4:**

Maura sat in bed, the dark blue duvet covering her up to her stomach. The room was cool in the early morning, gentle sunlight pouring through the window that remained curtain-less and faced toward a small courtyard behind the apartment complex. In the courtyard, there was a small fountain that could be faintly heard, the sound of rushing water a calming entity to Maura's being. She closed her eyes and focused on the soft sounds that Jane had no doubt listened to on mornings when she didn't want to get out of bed to start the day. Jane was predictable in that way, but ever since Maura had been to visit, Jane had gotten up first every morning to start coffee or make a small breakfast for the two of them. Maura had wondered briefly why she was putting so much effort into it, but she didn't allow herself to wander down that train of thought too much.

It was now Wednesday, and Maura had arrived on Saturday morning. Thus far, the trip had been smooth; they quickly fell into their old routine, to which Maura was pleased. She had always been simply amazed at how easy it was for her and Jane to just _be_ together.

The morning after she'd arrived, or rather later that same morning, had been peaceful and spent catching up – in-depth, like they hadn't been able to do over the phone or even video chat. Some things only felt right to be discussed over warm – not instant, Maura noted – coffee and fluffy scrambled eggs a la Jane. (In Maura's opinion, Jane was a fabulous cook, if only she had the patience to do it more often.)

However, as the days passed, filled with touristy things and quiet evenings of old, it became increasingly clear to Maura that something had changed with her friend. Something the brunette had yet to speak of... and Maura wondered if Jane had met someone. Of course, she hadn't said anything of the sort, but maybe it wasn't serious enough to be mentioned just yet? Despite how silly she knew that sounded, still, she found herself worrying.

Maura tried to find ways to breach the subject, but no way she could think sounded organic. Jane would definitely sniff out her motive in an instant. For Maura, this was too close to the heart of the matter – her own heart, that is. She'd already promised herself she would push her feelings aside to have the quality time with her best friend without the risk of heartbreak.

"Maur?" Jane poked her head around the corner of the bedroom door, "Coffee's ready."

Maura looked up at her, Jane's voice breaking her out of her thoughts, as she nodded. Jane had left her to get dressed while she made coffee, but Maura had yet to leave the safety and warmth of the heavy duvet on Jane's bed.

"Maura?" Jane's eyebrows furrowed as she entered the room, "There a reason you're still sitting there?"

Maura smiled sheepishly, and rose from the bed, fixing the covers as best as she could, "I was just relaxing." So it wasn't a total lie - Jane's bed was quite comfortable. Maura ducked her head at the blush that thought provoked.

Jane's features melded into one of confusion, a small smile still taking up residence on her lips, upon seeing her friend blush. She paused, "Well, I've gotta go into work for a bit again," she hoped that the tone of her voice conveyed her apologies, "Can you entertain yourself for a few hours?" Really, the last thing she wanted to do was go to work when she had Maura there, but they had called her the past two days and she was still new, so she didn't feel right telling them no, she couldn't come in because her best friend is in town. She wasn't sure that would be a sufficient excuse.

Maura frowned a bit, but nodded nonetheless, "Yes, I can go to one of the museums you don't really want to go to," she giggled a bit upon seeing Jane's reaction to her words. The brunette hadn't actually said anything about not wanting to go to some of the museums Maura wanted to visit, but Maura could read the micro expressions on her face and she knew immediately which points of interest Jane found less than appealing.

"But I…" Jane trailed off, sighing as she shook her head and let out a laugh, "Okay, you caught me. You sure you don't care to go alone?"

"I'm sure, Jane," Maura nodded.

"Okay," Jane fumbled with her hands, rubbing at the – now faint – scars there, "Well, I hope you brought a nice dress 'cause tonight we're going out." She flashed a toothy smile, but still she looked nervous.

"Okay," Maura smiled, picking up on what Jane was feeling, but keeping them to herself as much as possible. "So coffee?" She smiled, following Jane to the kitchen as she wondered why Jane was so nervous over having dinner with her. Wasn't it true that they'd had dinner together hundreds of times over their years as friends? Why was this one any different?

Maura stood in front of the mirror in Jane's bathroom as she ran her hands over her already smoothed out dress. She fussed with her necklace, leaning in closer to inspect her makeup, to make sure not even a recently curled hair on her head was out of place.

She was nervous. And she wasn't sure exactly why.

Something about the way that Jane had approached the subject of going to dinner had set Maura on edge all day. As she perused the streets of D.C., looking at art that hung on the walls of famous museums, she couldn't get her mind off of the beautiful brunette she called her best friend. Try as she might, none of the paintings stuck out to her like they normally would and she left in a frustrated huff at being unable to appreciate the art.

The only art she was appreciating in her mind was the lithe body of Jane. And that was wholly unacceptable, given the promise Maura had made to herself to put aside her feelings for two weeks and just enjoy the company.

But Jane had set her nerves on edge with the anxious dinner invitation and suggestion that it was a formal event. Maura knew Jane, and she knew that formal events were not normally a voluntary thing for the former detective. In fact, she could remember on more than one occasion when she'd had to drag the taller woman into a ball or other event that required more than just a pair of slacks and a t-shirt to be admitted.

But now Jane was the one suggesting formal. And that made Maura nervous. In her experience, invitations to formal dinners only meant one thing – and she was usually accompanied by a handsome man.

This was Jane.

This was her best friend.

 _Who she was hopelessly in love with._

Maura took a deep breath and strode out of the bathroom, only to find a half-naked Jane, with her back turned to Maura, struggling to zip up her own dress. Maura paused for a moment, not announcing her presence as she drank in the sight before her, feeling only slightly bad.

She noted that the dress was well above Jane's knee, showing off more of the woman's legs than Maura had ever seen her (aside from when she wore running shorts, of course), and the bra that Jane wore was something that Maura would have never pictured the brunette wearing, but God, was she glad for it. It was simple black lace, but it contrasted against her olive skin and fit her just right, at least from what Maura could see.

Finally, after a few more moments she cleared her throat and stepped forward, "Need some help?"

Jane jumped and reached for her side, _where her holster used to be_ , and turned around. Noticing it was simply Maura, she relaxed and flashed a sheepish smile, nodding to where her hand was still hovering over her hip, "Habit."

Maura hummed, stepping ever closer to Jane as she reached for the zipper and tugged gently, her knuckles grazing against silky, soft skin. She felt Jane shiver and relax into the soft touch, both of them avoiding the other's gaze in the dresser mirror. Both embarrassed at the feelings such a touch evoked in them. For Maura, it was thrilling and terrifying all at once. For Jane, it was simply terrifying. She wasn't used to looking at her best friend through hooded eyelids of desire like she had been for the past few days. Yeah, she'd known that she and Maura's relationship was never what anyone would consider "normal" for two thirty-something women, but it was only since Maura arrived on her doorstep in D.C. that Jane realized just how deep the feelings ran, chiseling out a canyon in her heart.

Maura pulled the zipper completely up and brushed her hand along the nape of Jane's neck before letting her hand drop completely as she stepped away, not trusting herself enough to speak. Her eyes flitted up to catch Jane's in the mirror and she blushed slightly.

Jane was the first to speak, her voice coming out huskily as she tried to control her rapid heartbeats, "Well, you ready?"

Maura only nodded, going over to the bed to pick up her clutch purse as she led the way out of the apartment. She inhaled softly, but deeply, trying to regain composure. After all, she figured she was going to need it if things kept up the way they were.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I haven't decided if this is it, or if I should add another chapter. So I wanna hear from you guys, what do you think?**

 **I just want to take a moment to say thank you to all who have read and reviewed! You guys are awesome. :)**

 **Keep on, keeping on!**

* * *

" **Guide You Home"**

 **5:**

The only thing in Maura's life that had yet to betray her was science and her thirst for knowledge. When life became insufferable, she sought refuge in the constants of figures and numbers. She indulged in learning new techniques and in her work. These were her safe places.

But, she guessed she needed to add Jane to that list.

If science and the yearning for knowledge were constants in her life, then Jane Rizzoli was a permanent fixture more dominant and more resolute than even the atoms and molecules that made up the world. They were inseparable, mixing together so completely that one could not be extracted from the other where one would have predicted that they would be like oil and water, repelling each other for their differences. Their differences, in fact, were the things that brought them together, that had lit a fire within both of their souls, an eternal flame that burned so brightly it was hard to believe that it only burned hotter and hotter as time passed.

Maura sighed and leaned into the soft touch of the woman before her, as she caressed her neck down to her collarbone, simply reveling in the moment. Jane's fingers tiptoed over Maura's skin leaving a trail of heat in their wake, and Maura smiled as she stepped forward into the embrace of the taller woman.

Jane had taken her to a restaurant downtown, one that she herself had been taken to by some colleagues during her first week in the city, but this dinner was much different than the one that had been filled with boisterous laughter and sharing tales of experiences over booze. No, tonight had been filled with fleeting looks and even more touches from across the table, of hushed whispers and soft smiles. From the very beginning, they had fallen quickly into a new rhythm at the unspoken understanding that was an ever permanent fixture between them. All it took was a look and an anxious invitation.

Jane had done that. Jane had read through to Maura's heart and found the same love and desire burning there that she had within her own heart. And for that, Maura was well pleased.

She didn't even care that she had broken her promise to herself, because it meant that she got what her soul had longed for a long time. It meant that Jane was hers and she was Jane's.

That was enough.

But… then, with a shattering thought, it wasn't. "Jane," Maura breathed, her breath catching on the thoughts shuffling through her mind, "Jane," she repeated when the brunette didn't stop peppering kisses along her neck, behind her ear.

"Mmm…" Jane's acknowledgement was borderline non-verbal as Maura would've had to strain to hear the noise if Jane's mouth had been anywhere but behind her ear.

"Jane," she pushed her back, reluctantly, and with shimmering, watery eyes, looked into pools of brown so darkened with desire that they appeared black. It made Maura shiver slightly, but she pushed on, "Jane, we live over 400 miles apart."

And with those words, the bubble they'd cocooned themselves and their love into, burst, shattering like glass around them.

Jane frowned, deep creases forming between her eyes and Maura had to fight the urge to reach out and smooth them with her thumb. Jane hung her head, fumbling with the scars on her hands again, out of nervous habit and she inhaled, "I know, Maur, I'm sorry, I… We don't have to do this."

Maura's heart broke at the shakiness of her voice and against every fiber of her being, every thought in her brain screaming at her not to, she reached out to hold Jane's face between her hands and with a sharp intake of breath, pulled her in, tasting her lips for the first time. It was everything she had ever hoped it would be and more. She, despite logic telling her she should, regretted nothing, and she deepened the kiss that much more to try and shut her brain down and just move and feel on instinct.

Jane had come into Maura's life unexpectedly, so it was no wonder that's how their love blossomed from friendship to all-consuming love. Or perhaps that love had always been there, lying dormant in wait for the right time to blossom, pluming up into a fiery rose of explosives. Because a love like that, it lit up the entire sky, leaving in its wake hot burning embers and fires that required much effort to be extinguished. The destruction would not end them, no, from the destruction would always come rebirth and that's how they lived their lives. Always shifting, always moving with the tides. Their love was always morphing into something slightly different as they themselves changed, but the way they loved each other remained constant.

"Are you sure?" Jane asked, pulling away slightly, remaining close enough that her warm breath skirted across Maura's swollen lips.

Maura simply nodded, wrapping her hand into Jane's as she tugged, silently moving them to the bedroom. _There was no turning back._

Truthfully, Maura had never felt so alive. She had never trusted herself to make such a _right_ decision as the one she was currently making. Loving Jane would never be a mistake. It was as pure and as natural as the stars and the moon in the sky, as they shimmered night after night, never failing to show up and be present. Jane and her love were that constant for Maura.

As a young child, Maura believed that the moon and the stars heard every word she spoke to them, like an old friend, steadfast. Now she knew, as she looked back at Jane and the hesitant smile, the very sure look in her dark eyes, that Jane herself might've hung the stars and the moon in the sky. As far as Maura was concerned, she very well could have. For Jane was as steadfast, as sure of a thing as science and numbers, forming to create figures and formulas, and she would remain the same forever, always locked away within Maura's heart.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I currently only have one more chapter planned, but writing this story has been fun! Thanks to all who have enjoyed this story and read and reviewed.  
**

 **Now, in the last chapter I had a guest reviewer with the concern that I was a 10 year old writing about such intimate things. While my 10 year old self was rather mature for her age, I'm sure she didn't understand the concepts of many of the things I've written about. That being said, I can assure you that I am legally able to drive and buy my own alcohol. lol. I'll be graduating university in a few months, as well... So rest assured, I am wholly old enough. :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

" **Guide You Home"**

 **6:**

It was a messy love that brought Maura into existence. A tidy sort of love that brought her from an infant into a young woman. Along the way, in her romantic life, there were false starts and flings that did no more than speed up her heart rate for as long as the passion lasted.

Then came Jane.

She was a steadfast love, a burning desire all in one and suddenly, Maura didn't have to choose. She could have it all in one person.

That same person was currently stretched languidly out beside her on the bed, sleeping peacefully for once. Her features were relaxed, so much so that Maura thought she looked at least ten years younger, her youth yet to have been robbed from her.

Maura, on the other hand, sat up in bed, the covers pulled up around her as her hands grabbed fistfuls of the material to keep herself shielded from the air. She, unlike Jane, couldn't sleep no matter how hard she had tried, though she wanted nothing more than to be sleeping calmly, curled up next to Jane's warmth.

But her damned brain.

She thought of all the times that she and Jane had come close to breaching the boundary that they had just – ever so lovingly – broken. All the years that they could have been each other's warmth, but instead simply danced around one another in a sort of tortured waltz, taking steps back when they should have been moving forward. Maura laughed softly, _Jane always said she never was much of a dancer._

She thought about what was to come, the future – perhaps even _their_ future. She knew their love could cover the distance that now separated their lives, that was never a doubt in her mind. But she didn't know if she could stand the torture that being physically separated would bring. After all, hadn't they just gotten the physical touches to the fullest extent? It would be absolutely unbearable to have that ripped away from her now that she'd had a taste of all that could be between her and Jane.

She thought back to mere hours ago, when Jane had been hovering over her naked body, simply whispering sweet nothings to her as she worshipped – downright worshipped – Maura's body. Maura never thought that Jane would lack passion, it wasn't how she lived her life in any other way, so why would the bedroom be any different? What Maura hadn't expected was the compassion with which her touches also held. So much that Maura found herself unable to breathe for reasons beyond the obvious.

Jane stirred beside her, breaking Maura from her thoughts and causing her to pause in picking at a thread that had come loose from the corner of the sheet still wrapped around her torso. The brunette's eyes opened, her vision blurry at first and then focusing on Maura's sullen figure beside her. Her eyebrows furrowed and she tentatively reached out to the blonde, touching her thigh over the duvet, "Hey," her voice sounded rough, huskier than usual due to the sleep still fogging her body.

"Hi," Maura answered shyly, reaching up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear, "Did I wake you?"

Jane shook her head slowly, her eyes never leaving Maura's, "No."

"Sleep okay?"

Jane blinked, her eyebrows furrowing as she sat up to rest her head on her elbow, "Yeah. Maur, what's wrong?"

Maura drew in a breath, focusing her attention back on the loose thread as she fiddled with it, "I'm okay, Jane."

Jane sat up fully, not bothering to cover her bare upper body as she reached over to still Maura's hands, "No, you aren't. C'mon, talk to me. Is it about last night?" Her voice shook at the mere thought of Maura having second thoughts about the actions they took the night before.

"No!" Maura looked up at her, shaking her head, "Of course not. I don't regret what we did," she smiled softly, stroking Jane's hand with her thumb.

"Then what is it? Is it the… distance thing?"

Maura pursed her lips slightly, nodding, "Yeah, I… Jane, what are we going to do?" Even to her own ears she sounded very much like a scared child. With anyone else, she would've cringed at the desperation in her voice, but this was Jane and after last night… She knew she had nothing to fear.

"Maur," Jane scooted closer to her on the bed, wrapping an arm comfortingly around slim shoulders, "It's going to be okay. It's not that far and…"

"No," Maura bit down on her bottom lip, her head shaking furiously, "No, Jane," she looked into Jane's eyes, her own vision blurred by the hot tears that had sprung up, "I can't live without you. I don't… want to."

"What are you saying?" Jane fought to keep her voice level, to keep emotion from tinging her words as she spoke, fearing the worst.

"I'm saying… Come back home. With me." Maura bit harder on her lip, drawing a trickle of blood as she waited for Jane's response to her rather irrational, but necessary plea.

Jane smiled a little, sadly, "But my job is here."

"So? Forget this job and come back to Boston. I know, I just _know_ you could find something similar there. I'll even help you! Please, Jane."

"Maura, I…" Jane glanced at the woman seated beside her, from the tears welled up in her sad eyes, to the white teeth digging into soft pink flesh. All of the love and desperation was there, just for her, _because_ of her.

After a moment's more of a pause, Jane nodded, letting out a breath she wasn't even aware she'd been holding as she pulled Maura close, the sheet falling from around Maura's upper body, "Okay," she murmured into golden hair, "Okay, I'll come home."

Maura sobbed into Jane's shoulder, releasing the emotions that had built up during the expanse of their conversation and she laughed through her tears, "I love you. So much." She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and pulled away slightly to see Jane's face, the broad grin stretching across it.

"I love you too, Maur," Jane leaned forward, capturing Maura's lips in a kiss before pulling away and grinning once more, "Let's get to that job hunt then, shall we?"

Maura smiled a smile that met her eyes, lighting them up with happiness, "Yes, please."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, folks, this is it! The final chapter. Once again, thanks to all who have enjoyed this story with me. I enjoyed writing it and I have some other things in the works, so those should be posted soon.**

 **:)**

* * *

" **Guide You Home"**

 **7:**

Maura found that the past month with Jane had been one of the best she could remember and yet, everything seemed so normal. The only thing that had changed was the fact that she now woke up and went to sleep beside Jane instead of alone.

After having decided, and discussing and planning at much length, that Jane would come home to Boston, things happened quickly. From re-packing all of Jane's belongings, to notifying the FBI that their newest member was going to be no longer, the two weeks in D.C. were suddenly filled with much different activity than expected. Of course, many of those activities consisted of all the things new lovers do.

There were romantic dinners – usually with take out and lounging among the many brown cardboard boxes slowly multiplying and taking up residence in the sizable living room. But those nights were perfect – filled with once fleeting touches now turned to lingering ones, and soft murmurings of lovers' promises to one another. It was filled with laughter and the usual banter. It was filled with slow, unhurried love makings and at other times, hot and heavy passion.

And going home to Boston brought the knowledge that the bubble they'd been living in would be broken, filled with family and work distractions. Together they had decided to be upfront with their friends and family about their relationship's progress, for there was no reason to do otherwise.

Jane had been able to acquire a job with the Boston Police Academy, with not much help needed from Maura. Her credentials more than qualified for the instructing position, but her personal connections more than carried her through. Her legacy as such a fine cop and detective followed her. Maura had never felt such a sense of pride for another person than she did at the words the interviewer had spoken to Jane, praising her past career and assuring her in her new position.

When the time had come to leave for home, they found excitement, of course, but also a bit of melancholy. They had learned so much about one another in their two weeks alone, they had not only begun to discover one another as lovers, but also deeper on a friendship level.

Now that they were home, everything couldn't have felt more perfect. The dinner with their family and friends had gone rather smoothly, the only occurrences being that nobody seemed surprised at their announcement, but TJ was thrilled to see both of his aunts again, not having realized or caring like little children are prone to do that up until the announcement Maura wasn't really ever his aunt. It didn't matter – to any of them, because as far as they were concerned Maura had always been family and she always would be. Maura's heart had swelled with so much love that she actually cried at everyone's responses to her and Jane's blossoming love. She could remember only a few times when she felt so… _included_ and _wanted_ – all of them had occurred around Jane. She didn't want it any other way.

"Dinner went well, didn't it?" Maura spoke softly as she and Jane cleared the dinner table of the discarded dishes. Everyone had gone home, including Angela, despite many protests to help clean up. A look from Tommy and Frankie had shut her up suddenly, seemingly getting the hint as she bid her goodnights and her happy congratulations and moved on to the guest house.

Jane smiled at Maura from her place across the table as she balanced plates and cups in her arms, "Yeah, it did," she winked, "And trust me, Maura, nobody cared that you got a little emotional."

Maura blushed, that having been her next voiced concern, Jane was always one step ahead of her, "You think? I… I don't know what came over me."

Jane moved to take the small stack of plates from Maura and silently made her way over to the sink to deposit them there. Maura was beginning to think that Jane's lack of response was her way of dismissing any further discussion, but then Jane came back and stood in front of Maura, her arms wrapping around the blonde's curvy waist, "I do," she leaned in and kissed Maura softly, "Love."

Maura swallowed, feeling tears pricking her eyes once more, "I didn't expect them to embrace it so fully."

"Why not? They love you, and they have to love me," Jane chuckled at her attempt at a joke, "Of course they're happy we're together. From the sound of things they'd expected it for a while." Jane brushed a lock of hair behind Maura's ear and pulled her closer.

Maura hummed in contentment as she rested her head on Jane's shoulder, "Apparently."

They stood silently in their embrace for a long moment before Jane pressed her lips to Maura's head, keeping them there for a moment, "I love you," she murmured, finally starting to get used to speaking the words she'd thought for so long.

"I love you too," Maura moved her head so she could look up at the brunette, "Are you happy?"

Jane nodded affirmatively, "Always when I'm with you."

Maura blushed, burying her face in Jane's shoulder in a sudden bout of embarrassment at the sincerity of the taller woman's words. Growing up, Maura would have never believed anyone if they'd told her this is what her life would look like. She would have told them they were lying and listed all the reasons that it was an improbable turn of events. But now, she'd learned that sometimes life didn't go the way you once thought it would. That sometimes life had its own plan for your life. That sometimes the stars did align despite all logical improbability and sometimes… two people that were meant for each other really could be together.

 _ **fin.**_


End file.
